Eye gaze direction indicator

ABSTRACT

A user of a computing system gazes at an image of visible objects in the user&#39;s field of view. The computing system determines the direction of the user&#39;s eye gaze into the field of view, and augments the image seen by the user with a computer-generated gaze direction indicator. The computing system may also determine the direction of an auxiliary pointer into the field of view, and may further augment the image seen by the user with a computer-generated auxiliary pointer direction indicator. The gaze direction indicator may be adjusted based on the user&#39;s eye movement and the auxiliary pointer direction indicator may be adjusted based on manipulation of the auxiliary pointer. The direction indicators may intersect over an object in the user&#39;s field of view, and may be displayed on a transparent display screen positioned between the user and the object.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to augmented reality computing systems,and more specifically relates to inserting an eye gaze directionindicator into a field of view of a user of an augmented realitycomputing system.

Augmented reality technology provides for the incorporation ofartificial information into a user's perception of a real-worldenvironment. Augmented reality computing systems may include computerprocessors in communication with cameras, projectors, display screens,and other input/output devices; in communication with mobile devicessuch as tablets and smart phones; and also in communication withdatabases and other information sources. Information sources may beaccessed, for example, through networks such as the Internet.

SUMMARY

Disclosed herein are embodiments of a method for augmenting an imageseen by a user of a computing system. The image includes objects thatare visible in the user's field of view. The computing system maydetermine the eye gaze direction of the user into the field of view. Thecomputing system may then insert a computer-generated gaze directionindicator into the image visible to the user. The computer-generatedgaze direction indicator represents the eye gaze direction of the userinto the field of view. In some embodiments, the computer-generated gazedirection indicator is displayed on a transparent display screenpositioned between the user and the visible objects in the user's fieldof view. The computer-generated gaze direction indicator may be adjustedbased on the user's eye movement.

The computing system may also determine the direction of an auxiliarypointer into the user's field of view. The point of origin of theauxiliary pointer direction may be offset from the point of origin ofthe eye gaze direction. The computing system may then insert acomputer-generated auxiliary pointer direction indicator into the imagevisible to the user. The computer-generated auxiliary pointer directionindicator represents the auxiliary pointer direction into the user'sfield of view. The computer-generated auxiliary pointer directionindicator may intersect the computer-generated gaze direction indicatorover an object in the image visible to the user. The computer-generatedauxiliary pointer direction indicator may be adjusted based onmanipulation of the auxiliary pointer. Also disclosed herein areembodiments of a computer program product providing program instructionsexecutable by the computing system to perform the described method.

Disclosed herein are also embodiments of a computing system foraugmenting an image of objects visible to a user in a field of view. Thesystem may include a gaze capture unit, a gaze direction determinationunit, a gaze direction indicator generator, an auxiliary pointer captureunit, an auxiliary pointer direction determination unit, and anauxiliary pointer direction indicator generator. The gaze directiondetermination unit may be configured to receive gaze capture data fromthe gaze capture unit. The gaze direction determination unit may befurther configured to use the gaze capture data to determine the eyegaze direction of the user into the user's field of view. The gazedirection indicator generator may be configured to insert a gazedirection indicator into image visible to the user.

The auxiliary pointer capture unit is associated with an auxiliarypointer. The auxiliary pointer direction determination unit may beconfigured to receive auxiliary pointer capture data from the auxiliarypointer capture unit. The auxiliary pointer direction determination unitmay be further configured to use the auxiliary pointer capture data todetermine the auxiliary pointer direction of the auxiliary pointer intothe user's field of view. The auxiliary pointer direction indicatorgenerator may be configured to insert an auxiliary pointer directionindicator into the image visible to the user. The auxiliary pointerdirection indicator and the gaze direction indicator may intersect overan object in the image visible to the user. In some embodiments, thegaze direction indicator and the auxiliary pointer direction indicatorare displayed on a transparent display screen positioned between theuser and the visible objects in the user's field of view. The directionindicators may be adjusted based on the user's eye movement andmanipulation of the auxiliary pointer.

The above summary is not intended to describe each illustratedembodiment or every implementation of the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings included in the present application are incorporated into,and form part of, the specification. They illustrate embodiments of thepresent disclosure and, along with the description, serve to explain theprinciples of the disclosure. The drawings are only illustrative ofcertain embodiments and do not limit the disclosure.

FIG. 1 depicts an example image of objects visible in a field of view ofa user of an example computing system, the image augmented with acomputer-generated gaze direction indicator and a computer-generatedauxiliary pointer direction indicator.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating an example method for selecting anobject visible in a computing system user's field of view using acomputer-generated gaze direction indicator and a computer-generatedauxiliary pointer direction indicator.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram depicting a portion of an example computingsystem for augmenting an image of objects visible in a user's field ofview with a computer-generated gaze direction indicator and acomputer-generated auxiliary pointer direction indicator.

While the invention is amenable to various modifications and alternativeforms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of example in thedrawings and will be described in detail. It should be understood,however, that the intention is not to limit the invention to theparticular embodiments described. On the contrary, the intention is tocover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling withinthe spirit and scope of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to inserting an eye gazedirection indicator into an image of objects visible in a field of viewto a user of an augmented reality computing system. More particularaspects relate to also inserting an auxiliary pointer directionindicator into the image, and adjusting the eye gaze direction indicatorand the auxiliary pointer direction indicator such that a particularobject in the field of view is positioned at the intersection of the twodirection indicators. While the present disclosure is not necessarilylimited to such applications, various aspects of the disclosure may beappreciated through a discussion of various examples using this context.

Augmented reality computing systems may include processors and memorydevices, as well as sensors, cameras, and other input devices. Augmentedreality computing systems may also include displays and other outputdevices, such as optical head-mounted displays, that can displayartificial images to the user as well as allow the user to see throughthe display into a field of view. When viewing a real-life scene throughsuch a display, the augmented reality technology may also be capturingthe scene. A user may wish to select a particular object in the scenefor processing by the augmented reality technology. For example, theuser may wish to zoom in on the object or to find out more informationabout the object. When objects in the scene are large or when the sceneis sparsely populated, it may be possible for a user to select an objectmerely by gazing at it. But when objects are small or the scene isdensely populated, such as when the objects of interest are closetogether and at a great distance from the user, it may be difficult foran eye-gaze detector in the computing system to differentiate betweenthe objects. A solution to this problem is to augment the scene asviewed by the user with user-controlled direction indicators foridentifying objects of interest.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example augmented field of view 100 of a user ofan example augmented reality computing system. The augmented realitycomputing system includes a transparent display screen 105. Through thetransparent display screen 105, the user can see the buildings of a cityin the distance within the field of view 100. The computing system mayuse input hardware, not shown, such as a camera focused on the user'spupils and retina and/or sensors monitoring the user's temporal muscleactivity, together with one or more processors, to determine what theuser is looking at within the field of view. But if the user is lookingin the direction of Building C in the viewed city, it may be impossiblefor the computing system to determine whether the user is interested inBuilding C or Building B, since both buildings fall in the line of sightof the user.

To aid the user in specifying a particular object in the field of view100, the computing system may augment the image seen by the user with agaze direction indicator 110. The gaze direction indicator 110 is arepresentation of the user's eye gaze direction that is displayed on thetransparent display screen 105, thus inserting the gaze directionindicator 110 into the user's field of view 100. The computer-generatedgaze direction indicator 110 may take any form, and may be, for example,a line through the field of view 100. The line may be black, white, orany color; may be solid, dotted, or dashed; may be opaque, transparent,or translucent; or may be in any other configuration sufficient to givethe user an indication of the user's eye gaze direction.

The computing system may also augment the image seen by the user with anauxiliary pointer direction indicator 120. Rather than eye gaze, thesource of the auxiliary pointer direction indicator 120 is an auxiliarypointer into the field of view. In some embodiments, the auxiliarypointer may actually enter the field of view, such as the user's fingeror an object in the user's hand, and the auxiliary pointer direction maybe extrapolated from the image of the auxiliary pointer. In someembodiments, the auxiliary pointer may be a compass-enabled mobiledevice or other navigational instrument in communication with thecomputing system, and the auxiliary pointer direction may beextrapolated from the data provided by the auxiliary pointer. Theauxiliary pointer direction indicator 120 is a representation of theauxiliary pointer direction of the auxiliary pointer that is displayedon the transparent display screen 105, thus inserting the auxiliarypointer direction indicator 120 into the user's field of view 100. Likethe computer-generated gaze direction indicator 110, thecomputer-generated auxiliary pointer direction indicator 120 may takeany form sufficient to give the user an indication of the auxiliarypointer direction. Furthermore, the auxiliary pointer directionindicator 120 and the gaze direction indicator 110 may be displayed indifferent forms as an aid for the user in distinguishing the twoindicators. For example, the indicators may be different colors ordifferent thicknesses.

In the field of view 100, the computer-generated gaze directionindicator 110 intersects the computer-generated auxiliary pointerdirection indicator 120 over Building C, providing the user with theability to distinguish between Building C and Building B, which are bothin the user's line of sight. To reposition the intersection of gazedirection indicator 110 and auxiliary pointer direction indicator 120,the user need only redirect his gaze, reposition his auxiliary pointer,or both. This is shown in the other field of view 102 in FIG. 1.

Field of view 102 is identical to field of view 100, except that thecomputer-generated direction indicators have been repositioned. When theuser moves his eyes to redirect his gaze toward Building A, thecomputing system's gaze direction detector recalculates the gazedirection and the computing system adjusts the displayed gaze directionindicator 112 so that it represents the user's new gaze direction in thefield of view 102. But since Building D also falls in the adjusted lineof sight of the user, the user may also reposition the auxiliary pointertoward Building A. In response, the computing system auxiliary pointerdirection detector recalculates the auxiliary pointer direction and thecomputing system adjusts the displayed auxiliary pointer directionindicator 122 so that it represents the new auxiliary pointer directionin the field of view 102. Using the auxiliary pointer directionindicator 122, the user may precisely adjust the direction of theauxiliary pointer such that the intersection of the two directionindicators is over Building A in the field of view.

Although the display screen 105 is depicted in FIG. 1 in the shape ofeyeglass lenses, the display screen 105 may take other forms. Forexample, the display screen may be integrated into the visor of ahelmet, may be integrated into the windshield of an automobile, may beintegrated into the window of a building structure, may be embedded incontact lenses, may be a virtual retinal display, may be a see-throughdisplay of a handheld device, or may be in any other configuration.

Although the auxiliary pointer direction indicators 120, 122 aredepicted in FIG. 1 as lines through the field of view, the auxiliarypointer direction indicators may take other forms. For example, theauxiliary pointer direction indicator may be a dot pointer thatcoincides with the eye gaze direction indicator over a particular objectin the field of view, or may be in some other configuration.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example method 200 for selecting an object visiblein a computing system user's field of view using a computer-generatedgaze direction indicator and a computer-generated auxiliary pointerdirection indicator. From start 205, the computing system may determinethe eye gaze direction of the user into the field of view at 210. Thecomputing system may use any eye tracking system suitable for measuringthe point of gaze of the user. For example, data from a camera directedat one or both eyes of the user may be used to determine a vectorbetween the eye pupil center and corneal reflections, and the vector maybe used to compute the user's eye gaze direction. After the eye gazedirection is determined, the computing system may then insert arepresentation of the eye gaze direction into the image as seen by theuser at 215. At this point, the user may see the real objects visible inthe user's field of view, such as the sky and landscape, and the usermay also see the computer-generated gaze direction indicator. Thecomputer-generated gaze direction indicator may be, for example, a lineextending into the user's field of view.

To insert the computer-generated gaze direction indicator into the imagevisible to the user, the computing system may, for example, extrapolatethe eye gaze direction and plot the extrapolated line on a transparentdisplay screen positioned between the user and the field of view. Insome embodiments, a projector may project the gaze direction indicatoronto a display screen for reflection into the user's eye. A user lookingthrough the transparent display screen may see the real objects in thefield of view, as well as the computer-generated gaze directionindicator. In some embodiments, the transparent display screen is closeto the user's eyes and only the user is looking at the display screen.In some embodiments, the display screen may be far enough from the userto allow others to look at it simultaneously with the user. In suchembodiments, the others may or may not see the computer-generated gazedirection indicator, or may see a gaze direction indicator based ontheir own gaze direction, depending on the particular configuration ofthe computing system.

The computing system may then determine the direction of an auxiliarypointer pointing into the field of view at 220. The position of theauxiliary pointer may be controlled by the user or by some other entity.In some embodiments, the auxiliary pointer may be an object that entersthe user's field of view, such as the user's finger. In suchembodiments, a camera or other device capturing the user's field of viewmay recognize the auxiliary pointer, extrapolate the direction of theauxiliary pointer, and plot or project the extrapolated line into theuser's field of view at 225. In some embodiments, the auxiliary pointermay be a compass-enabled mobile device or other navigational instrumentin communication with the computing system, and may provide dataderived, for example, from magnetic field sensors. In such embodiments,the auxiliary pointer direction may be extrapolated from the dataprovided by the auxiliary pointer, and then plotted or projected intothe user's field of view at 225.

At this point, the user may see the real objects visible in the user'sfield of view, such as the sky and landscape, and the user may also seethe computer-generated gaze direction indicator and thecomputer-generated auxiliary pointer direction indicator. Thecomputer-generated direction indicators may be, for example, linessuperimposed on the image of the real objects in the user's field ofview. If the user then adjusts his gaze, the gaze directiondetermination unit of the computing system may detect the eye movementat 230. The computing system may then determine the adjusted eye gazedirection of the user into the field of view at 235, using techniquessimilar to those used to determine eye gaze direction at 210. Thecomputing system may then adjust the orientation of thecomputer-generated gaze direction indicator to represent the new eyegaze direction of the user at 240.

If the user or other controlling entity adjusts the auxiliary pointer'sposition, the auxiliary pointer direction determination unit of thecomputing system may detect the auxiliary pointer movement at 245. Thecomputing system may then determine the adjusted direction of theauxiliary pointer into the field of view at 250, using techniquessimilar to those used to determine auxiliary pointer direction at 220.The computing system may then adjust the orientation of thecomputer-generated auxiliary pointer direction indicator to representthe new direction of the auxiliary pointer at 255.

As just described, eye movement and auxiliary pointer movement mayaffect the orientations of the computer-generated gaze directionindicator and the computer-generated auxiliary pointer directionindicator in the user's field of view. To select an object in the fieldof view, the user may orient the two direction indicators such that theintersection of the two direction indicators is positioned over thedesired object. A user may indicate a selection in any number of ways,for example by allowing the intersection to linger over the desiredobject for a predefined period of time, by a predefined blinkingsequence, by a predefined gesture, or by any other predefined activityinterpreted by the computing system as a selection. If selection isindicated at 260, then the object at the intersection of the eye gazedirection indicator and the auxiliary pointer direction indicator may beselected by the computing system at 265 and the method ends at 270. Ifselection is not indicated at 260, then the method returns to check forfurther eye movement at 230 and further auxiliary pointer movement at245.

Once an object is determined to be selected by the user, a variety offurther processing activities may be performed by the computing system,either automatically or in response to further input. The computingsystem may highlight the selected object in some way, may annotate thefield of view with a label identifying the selected object, or mayaugment the image in some other way. The computing system may provideaudio describing the selected object. For example, if the user selects aparticular building in a city skyline, the name of the building, theheight of the building, the number of floors in the building, thetenants of the building, the year the building was built, etc. may bedisplayed in the image or provided over a speaker connected to thecomputing system.

FIG. 3 illustrates a portion of an example computing system 300 foraugmenting an image of objects visible in a user's field of view with acomputer-generated gaze direction indicator and a computer-generatedauxiliary pointer direction indicator. The processor 310 represents oneor more processors in the computing system. Multiple processors may beconfigured as part of a single host machine or distributed among anumber of physically distinct host machines. Processors may be connectedto one another and other system components through a network, eitherwired or wireless, that allows electronic communication betweencomponents.

A gaze capture unit 320 may provide information to the processor 310 foruse in determining the eye gaze direction of the user into the field ofview. The gaze capture unit 320 may be one or more cameras, one or moresensors, one or more other input devices, or a combination of inputdevices. The cameras may capture the position and responses of theuser's eyes, such as the pupils, retinas, corneas, and other parts ofthe eye. The sensors may monitor the user's temporal muscle activity.The gaze capture unit may provide either raw or processed data to theprocessor 310.

An auxiliary pointer capture unit 330 may provide information to theprocessor 310 for use in determining the direction of an auxiliarypointer into the field of view. If the auxiliary pointer is an objectthat enters the user's field of view, such as a hand or finger of theuser, then the auxiliary pointer capture unit 330 may be one or morecameras or other input devices for detecting the object, and may becombined with scene capture unit 340. If the auxiliary pointer is acompass-enabled mobile device or other navigational instrument, then theauxiliary pointer capture unit 330 may be software modules, hardwarecircuitry, or some combination of hardware, firmware, and softwarewithin the instrument configured to route data from the navigationalsensors in the auxiliary pointer to the processor 310. The auxiliarypointer capture unit may provide either raw or processed data to theprocessor 310.

A scene capture unit 340 may provide information to the processor 310for use in processing objects in the user's field of view. For example,the processor 310 may process data from the scene capture unit 340 withimage recognition software to identify objects such as buildings,landmarks, faces, and other objects in the user's field of view, and mayretrieve information about identified objects from various databases.The scene capture unit 340 may be, for example, one or more cameras orother input devices, and may provide either raw or processed data to theprocessor 310.

The processor 310 may include a gaze direction determination unit 312and an auxiliary pointer direction determination unit 316. The gazedirection determination unit 312 may receive data from the gaze captureunit 320 and may process the data to determine the eye gaze direction ofthe user into the field of view. The auxiliary pointer directiondetermination unit 316 may receive data from the auxiliary pointercapture unit 330 and may process the data to determine the direction ofthe auxiliary pointer into the field of view. These units may besoftware modules, hardware circuitry, or some combination of hardware,firmware, and software within the processor 310.

The processor 310 may include a gaze direction indicator generator 314and an auxiliary pointer direction indicator generator 318. The gazedirection indicator generator 314 may process data received from thegaze direction determination unit 312 and extrapolate the data togenerate the gaze direction indicator and insert it into the image ofthe field of view visible to the user. The auxiliary pointer directionindicator generator 318 may process data received from the auxiliarypointer direction determination unit 316 and extrapolate the data togenerate the auxiliary pointer direction indicator and insert it intothe image of the field of view visible to the user. These generators maybe software modules, hardware circuitry, or some combination ofhardware, firmware, and software within the processor 310 configured toaugment the display 350 with the computer-generated indicators, and mayinteract with projectors or other output devices to augment display 350.Display 350 may be a transparent display screen, a virtual retinaldisplay, a see-through display of a handheld device, or any other deviceconfigured to present images of real-life scenes augmented withcomputer-generated images.

The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computerprogram product. The computer program product may include a computerreadable storage medium (or media) having computer readable programinstructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of thepresent invention.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present invention may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in anycombination of one or more programming languages, including an objectoriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++ or the like, andconventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language or similar programming languages. The computerreadable program instructions may execute entirely on the user'scomputer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone softwarepackage, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computeror entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario,the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through anytype of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide areanetwork (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer(for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example,programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), orprogrammable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readableprogram instructions by utilizing state information of the computerreadable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry,in order to perform aspects of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of theorder noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions.

The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present disclosurehave been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intendedto be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Manymodifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the describedembodiments. The terminology used herein was chosen to explain theprinciples of the embodiments, the practical application or technicalimprovement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enableothers of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodimentsdisclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for augmenting an image of objects visible in a field of view to a user of a computing system, the method comprising: determining, with the computing system, an eye gaze direction of the user into the field of view; inserting a computer-generated gaze direction indicator into the image visible to the user, the computer-generated gaze direction indicator a representation of the eye gaze direction of the user into the field of view; determining an auxiliary pointer direction of an auxiliary pointer into the field of view, a point of origin of the auxiliary pointer direction offset from a point of origin of the eye gaze direction, the auxiliary pointer being one of a pointing finger of a user and a pointing object held in a user's hand within the image; inserting a computer-generated auxiliary pointer direction indicator, different than the computer-generated gaze direction indicator, into the image visible to the user, the computer-generated auxiliary pointer direction indicator a representation of the auxiliary pointer direction into the field of view, the computer-generated auxiliary pointer direction indicator intersecting the computer-generated gaze direction indicator over a first object in the image visible to the user; and selecting the first object in the image over which the computer-generated auxiliary pointer direction indicator and the computer-generated gaze direction indicator intersect.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer-generated gaze direction indicator is displayed on a transparent display screen positioned between the user and the objects.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the transparent display screen is worn by the user.
 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: detecting, with the computing system, eye movement of the user; determining, with the computing system, an adjusted eye gaze direction of the user into the field of view, the adjusted eye gaze direction resulting from the eye movement; and adjusting the computer-generated gaze direction indicator, the adjusted computer-generated gaze direction indicator a representation of the adjusted eye gaze direction of the user into the field of view.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary pointer is a compass-enabled mobile device held by the user, and wherein the determining the auxiliary pointer direction of the auxiliary pointer into the field of view comprises receiving orientation data from the compass-enabled mobile device.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining an adjusted auxiliary pointer direction of the auxiliary pointer into the field of view, the adjusted auxiliary pointer direction resulting from auxiliary pointer manipulation; and adjusting the computer-generated auxiliary pointer direction indicator, the adjusted computer-generated auxiliary pointer direction indicator a representation of the adjusted auxiliary pointer direction of the auxiliary pointer into the field of view, the adjusted computer-generated auxiliary pointer direction indicator intersecting the computer-generated gaze direction indicator over a second object in the image visible to the user.
 7. A computing system for augmenting an image of objects visible in a field of view to a user of the computing system, the system comprising: a gaze capture unit; a gaze direction determination unit configured to receive gaze capture data from the gaze capture unit, and further configured to determine an eye gaze direction of the user into the field of view using the gaze capture data; a gaze direction indicator generator in communication with the gaze direction determination unit, the gaze direction indicator generator configured to insert a gaze direction indicator into the image visible to the user, the gaze direction indicator a representation of the eye gaze direction of the user into the field of view; an auxiliary pointer capture unit associated with an auxiliary pointer; an auxiliary pointer direction determination unit configured to receive auxiliary pointer capture data from the auxiliary pointer capture unit, and further configured to determine an auxiliary pointer direction of the auxiliary pointer into the field of view using the auxiliary pointer capture data, a point of origin of the auxiliary pointer direction offset from a point of origin of the eye gaze direction, the auxiliary pointer being one of a pointing finger of a user and a pointing object held in a user's hand within the image; and an auxiliary pointer direction indicator generator in communication with the auxiliary pointer direction determination unit, the auxiliary pointer direction indicator generator configured to insert an auxiliary pointer direction indicator different than the gaze-direction unit into the image visible to the user, the auxiliary pointer direction indicator a representation of the auxiliary pointer direction into the field of view, the auxiliary pointer direction indicator intersecting the gaze direction indicator over a first object in the image visible to the user, the first object in the image over which the computer-generated auxiliary pointer direction indicator and the computer-generated gaze direction indicator intersect being correspondingly selected.
 8. The system of claim 7, further comprising: a transparent display screen positioned between the user and the objects, wherein the gaze direction indicator is displayed on the transparent display screen.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the transparent display screen is worn by the user.
 10. The system of claim 7, wherein the gaze direction determination unit is further configured to determine, in response to eye movement of the user, an adjusted eye gaze direction of the user into the field of view.
 11. The system of claim 7, wherein the gaze direction indicator generator is further configured to adjust, in response to eye movement of the user, the gaze direction indicator in the image visible to the user.
 12. The system of claim 7, wherein the auxiliary pointer is a compass-enabled mobile device held by the user, and wherein the auxiliary pointer capture data is orientation data from the compass-enabled mobile device.
 13. The system of claim 7, wherein the auxiliary pointer direction determination unit is further configured to determine, in response to auxiliary pointer manipulation, an adjusted auxiliary pointer direction into the field of view.
 14. The system of claim 7, wherein the auxiliary pointer direction indicator generator is further configured to adjust, in response to auxiliary pointer manipulation, the auxiliary pointer direction indicator in the image visible to the user.
 15. A computer program product for augmenting an image of objects visible in a field of view to a user of a computing system, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by the computing system to perform a method comprising: determining, with the computing system, an eye gaze direction of the user into the field of view; inserting a computer-generated gaze direction indicator into the image visible to the user, the computer-generated gaze direction indicator a representation of the eye gaze direction of the user into the field of view; determining an auxiliary pointer direction of an auxiliary pointer into the field of view, a point of origin of the auxiliary pointer direction offset from a point of origin of the eye gaze direction, the auxiliary pointer being one of a pointing finger of a user and a pointing object held in a user's hand within the image; inserting a computer-generated auxiliary pointer direction indicator different than the computer-generated gaze direction indicator into the image visible to the user, the computer-generated auxiliary pointer direction indicator a representation of the auxiliary pointer direction into the field of view, the computer-generated auxiliary pointer direction indicator intersecting the computer-generated gaze direction indicator over a first object in the image visible to the user; and selecting the first object in the image over which the computer-generated auxiliary pointer direction indicator and the computer-generated gaze direction indicator intersect.
 16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the computer-generated gaze direction indicator is displayed on a transparent display screen positioned between the user and the objects.
 17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the auxiliary pointer is a compass-enabled mobile device held by the user, and wherein the determining the auxiliary pointer direction of the auxiliary pointer into the field of view comprises receiving orientation data from the compass-enabled mobile device. 